The UN is to hold an emergency meeting today of 45 countries that have offered troops for a 13,000-strong Lebanon peacekeeping mission, to confirm contributions and speed up deployment.

Amid confusion over deployment, the Israeli army is threatening to stall the withdrawal of its forces from southern Lebanon until the UN force is in place. Dan Halutz, Israel's chief of staff, said yesterday his troops would stop withdrawing unless the Lebanese army began to deploy within days, and his troops could remain in southern Lebanon until a multinational force was deployed. He said on Tuesday, as Israeli troops began to withdraw, that they could be out in 10 days.

There have been conflicting opinions among potential contributors about the speed of the UN deployment, ranging from days to months. Hedi Annabi, assistant UN secretary general for peacekeeping, said yesterday the UN hoped an initial contingent of 3,500 could be deployed in 10-15 days.

As yet no country has made a firm offer. Philippe Douste-Blazy, foreign minister of France, which is expected to lead the force, said during a visit to Beirut yesterday that his country would commit troops but did not specify how many.

France, along with others, is delaying deployment until the UN mandate is clarified. Israel says it expects the UN force to disarm Hizbullah but France does not see that as its role.

The deployment is also complicated by the lack of rules of engagement and Israeli objections to troops from Muslim countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia which do not recognise Israel.

The ceasefire plan, agreed by the security council on Friday, envisages a phased withdrawal of the Israeli army. It will be replaced by a Lebanese army contingent of 15,000, backed by a 13,000-strong UN force that will absorb Unifil, the current UN force on the Israel-Lebanon border.

A European diplomat said yesterday: "Everyone is aware of the need to get there quickly. There is hope that the first people will start arriving within a couple of weeks."